2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team

2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball
2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	7–6 (0–2 OVC)
Head coach	Brian Barone (6th season);
Assistant coaches	Colin Schneider (Associate Head Coach); Angres Thorpe; Ryan Hellenthal; Mike Waldo (Special Assistant to the Head Coach); Jay Bradley(Director of Player Development);
Home arena	First Community Arena
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Morehead State	2	–	0	1.000	6	–	6	.500
Southeast Missouri State	2	–	0	1.000	6	–	6	.500
Little Rock	1	–	0	1.000	7	–	5	.583
Western Illinois	1	–	1	.500	7	–	6	.538
Southern Indiana*	1	–	1	.500	6	–	6	.500
Lindenwood*	1	–	1	.500	6	–	7	.462
Tennessee Tech	1	–	1	.500	5	–	7	.417
UT Martin	1	–	1	.500	5	–	8	.385
Eastern Illinois	0	–	1	.000	3	–	8	.273
SIU Edwardsville	0	–	2	.000	7	–	6	.538
Tennessee State	0	–	2	.000	4	–	9	.308
* ineligible for the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition period

† 2025 OVC tournament winner As of December 21, 2024

The 2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by sixth-year head coach Brian Barone, play their home games at the First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023-24 season 17–16, 9–9 in OVC play to finish in sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the OVC tournament, they defeated Southern Indiana in the first round before losing to UT Martin.^[1]

SIUE guard Damarco Minor was honored as a member of the All-OVC First Team. ^[2]

Season forecast

Six players return from the 2023–24 squad. They are joined by one freshman, four transfers from junior colleges, two transfers from other Division I programs, and two graduate students from non-Division I schools. ^[3]

In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, SIUE was picked to finish 3rd in the 11 team Ohio Valley Conference. ^[4]

2024-25 OVC Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish

1. Little Rock (20 first-place votes) - 200 points

2. Western Illinois - 172

3. SIUE (2) - 151

4. Tennessee State - 134

5. Morehead State - 131

6. Eastern Illinois - 87

7. Southeast Missouri - 86

8. Southern Indiana - 79

9. Lindenwood - 67

10. UT Martin - 52

11. Tennessee Tech - 51

Regular season

Roster

Source ^[3]

2023–24 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Ring Malith	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jr	Barton CC/Rocky Bayou Christian HS	Twic, South Sudan
G	1	Jordan Pickett	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Belleville East HS	Belleville, IL
G	2	Desmond Polk	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	GS	Link Year Prep/La Lumiere School	Milwaukee, WI
G	3	Ray'Sean Taylor ^(C)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	GS	Collinsville HS	Collinsville, IL
F	4	Darrion Baker	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS Fr	Akron/Hillcrest HS	Chicago, IL
G	5	Declan Dillon	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	GS	Winona State/Peoria Noitre Dame	Peoria, IL
G	10	Jordan Hamilton	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Southern Idaho	Memphis, TN
G	11	Brian Taylor II	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	Milwaukee/De Smet HS	St. Louis, MO
G	15	Raynard Horry	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	So	Southeastern Illinois/Fort Zumwalt West	O'Fallon, MO
F	21	Myles Thompson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Jr	Barton CC/Hutchinson HS	Hutchinson, KS
G	23	Cham Okey	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Phoenix Prep/Austin HS	Minneapolis, MN
F	24	Kyle Thomas	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jr	Bradley/Benet Academy	Bolingbrook, IL
F	33	Jo Valrie	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	GS	Point Park	Houston, TX
C	34	Arnas Sakenis	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	260 lb (118 kg)	Jr	Andrew HS	Tinley Park, IL
G	40	Eddiean Tirado	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sr	Indian Hills CC/Calusa Prep	Miami, FL

Head coach

Brian Barone (Marquette)

Assistant coach(es)

Colin Schneider (Green Bay)
Ryan Hellenthal (UIC)
Angres Thorpe (Saint Leo College)
Mike Waldo (SIUE)
Jay Bradley (Barclay College)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: 28 October 22024

Schedule and results

Source^[5]

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2024 3:00 PM	Missouri Baptist	W 87-56		23 – R. Taylor	10 – Malith	6 – R. Taylor	First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Westminster College	W 95–42	1–0	15 – Tied	10 – R. Taylor	6 – R. Taylor	First Community Arena (1,233) Edwardsville, IL
November 6, 2024 7:00 PM, BTN	at No. 17 Indiana	L 61–80	1–1	17 – R. Taylor	9 – Sakenis	3 – Thompson	Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN
November 8, 2024 7:00 PM, Peacock	at Illinois	L 58–90	1–2	14 – R. Taylor	11 – Valrie	4 – R. Taylor	State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL
November 12, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+	Indiana State	W 77–72	2–2	22 – R. Taylor	7 – Baker	6 – R. Taylor	Hulman Center (4,264) Terre Haute, IN
November 15, 2024 4:00 PM	Western Michigan Bronco Classic	W 79–60	3–2	30 – R. Taylor	9 – Baker	7 – R. Taylor	University Arena (1,258) Kalamazoo, MI
November 16, 2024 2:00 PM, Bronco All-Access	vs. Canisius Bronco Classic	W 76–58	4–2	23 – B. Taylor	7 – Baker	7 – R. Taylor	University Arena (186) Kalamazoo, MI
November 19, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+	at Green Bay	L 57–82	4–3	16 – B. Taylor	6 – Tied	8 – R. Taylor	Kress Events Center Green Bay, WI
November 23, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+	St. Ambrose	W 83–49	5–3	15 – R.Taylor	19 – Malith	7 – R Taylor	First Community Arena (984) Edwardsville, IL
November 29, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+	North Florida	L 73–78	5–4	19 – Polk	8 – Malith	9 – B. Taylor	First Community Arena (1,058) Edwardsville, IL
December 8, 2024 1:00 PM, ESPN+	Ball State	W 82–69	6–4	27 – R. Taylor	14 – Sakenis	3 – R. Taylor	First Community Arena (1,015) Edwardsville, IL
December 15, 2024 1:00 PM, ESPN+	Eureka College	W 100–52	7–4	18 – R. Taylor	11 – Okey	5 – B. Taylor	First Community Arena (1,007) Edwardsville, IL
Ohio Valley Conference regular season
December 19, 2024 7:00 PM, ESPN+	Little Rock	L 56–60	7–5 (0–1)	18 – R. Taylor	8 – B. Taylor	3 – R. Taylor	Jack Stephens Center (820) Little Rock, AR
December 21, 2014 3:45 PM, ESPN+	Southeast Missouri State	L 64–80	7–6 (0–2)	16 – R. Taylor	6 – Malith	2 – 4 Tied	Show Me Center (1,123) Cape Girardeau, MO
January 2, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Western Illinois						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
January 4, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Lindenwood						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
January 7, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Eastern Illinois						Groniger Arena Charleston, IL
January 11, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Tennessee Tech						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
January 16, 2025 8:00 PM, ESPN+	Tennessee State						Gentry Complex Nashville, TN
January 18, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	UT Martin						Skyhawk Arena Martin, TN
January 23, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Southern Indiana						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
January 25, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Morehead State						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
January 30, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Lindenwood						Hyland Performance Arena St. Charles, MO
February 1, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Western Illinois						Western Hall Macomb, IL
February 4, 2025 ESPN+	Eastern Illinois						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
February 6, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Tennessee Tech						Eblen Center Cookeville, TN
February 13, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	UT Martin						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
February 15, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Tennessee State						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
February 20, 2025 6:30 PM, ESPN+	Morehead State						Ellis Johnson Arena Morehead, KY
February 22, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Southern Indiana						Screaming Eagles Arena Evansville, IN
February 27, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+	Southeast Missouri State						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
March 1, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+	Little Rock						First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL
OVC Tournament
March 5-8, 2025 ESPN+/ESPN	vs.						Ford Center Evansville, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Source^[6].

References

^ "OVC Basketball Championships Presented by United Fidelity Bank /Men's Championship -- Schedule/Results". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
^ "Morehead State's Minix, Little Rock's Walker and Crocker-Johnson and WIU's Cisse Earn 2023-24 OVC Men's Basketball Top Honors". Ohio Valley Conference. March 5, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
^ "Little Rock Picked As 2024-25 OVC Men's Basketball Favorite". Ohio Valley Conference. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
^ "2024-25 SIUE Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[1] "OVC Basketball Championships Presented by United Fidelity Bank /Men's Championship -- Schedule/Results". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[2] "Morehead State's Minix, Little Rock's Walker and Crocker-Johnson and WIU's Cisse Earn 2023-24 OVC Men's Basketball Top Honors". Ohio Valley Conference. March 5, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[roster-3] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[4] "Little Rock Picked As 2024-25 OVC Men's Basketball Favorite". Ohio Valley Conference. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[5] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

[6] "2024-25 SIUE Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

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v t e SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball
Venues	Shurtleff College Gymnasium (1967–1970) Edwardsville Senior High School Gymnasium (1969–1984) Vadalabene Center (1984–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25